-(느)ㄴ다고나 할까

Used when you are searching for the right words and offer your description tentatively: 'you could say ~ / how should I put it, ~'.

인용·전달Quoting & reporting

Han: 착하다 is an adjective, so it takes -다고, not -ㄴ다고; -는다고/-ㄴ다고 is only for action verbs.

Examples

그 영화는 슬프다기보다는 마음이 따뜻해진다고나 할까, 보고 나면 기분이 좋아져요.The film isn't so much sad as, how should I put it, heartwarming; you feel good after watching it.

그 사람은 친구라기보다는 가족이라고나 할까, 힘들 때마다 곁에 있어 주는 사람이에요.He's less a friend than family, you could say: someone who is by my side whenever things get hard.

처음 서울에 왔을 때는 모든 게 낯설었다고나 할까요? 길을 건너는 것조차 긴장됐어요.When I first came to Seoul, everything felt strange, you might say. Even crossing the street made me nervous.

요즘은 일이 너무 많아서 사는 게 아니라 그냥 버틴다고나 할까요.I have so much work these days that I'm not really living; I'm just getting by, you might say.

Don’t mix up

-(느)ㄴ다고나 할까vs-다고 할 수 있다States a judgment fairly firmly, typical of formal or written argument, while -다고나 할까 is hesitant and personal: 서울은 한국 경제의 중심지라고 할 수 있다.

-(느)ㄴ다고나 할까vs-(으)ㄴ/는 셈이다Means 'it practically amounts to' based on reckoning the facts, while -다고나 할까 is about finding a fitting word for a feeling: 일이 거의 다 끝난 셈이에요.

How to build it

V+는다고나/ㄴ다고나 할까(요)

A+다고나 할까(요)

N+(이)라고나 할까(요)

먹다 → 먹는다고나 할까, 버티다 → 버틴다고나 할까, 착하다 → 착하다고나 할까, 가족 → 가족이라고나 할까

Conjugate as in reported speech: action verbs take -는다고/-ㄴ다고, adjectives (and 있다/없다) take -다고, nouns take -(이)라고. Adding -ㄴ to an adjective (예쁜다고) is wrong.
Tense goes before 다고: -았/었다고나 할까 for the past, -(으)ㄹ 거라고나 할까 for the future; 할까 itself does not change.
Even with 할까(요)?, it is not a real question: the speaker is thinking aloud and expects no answer, so do not use it to ask someone's opinion.
It usually describes subjective feelings or impressions; with plain objective facts (지금 세 시라고나 할까) it sounds odd.

Classic mistake

Wrong: ~~그 사람은 말은 없지만 정말 착한다고나 할까요.~~

Right: 그 사람은 말은 없지만 정말 착하다고나 할까요.

착하다 is an adjective, so it takes -다고, not -ㄴ다고; -는다고/-ㄴ다고 is only for action verbs.

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